Ottawa State Fishing Lake

About Ottawa State Fishing Lake

The primary purpose of Ottawa State Fishing Lake is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Kansas Dept Of Wildlife Parks & Tourism (state). It impounds the Sand Creek near Bennington.

The dam stands 34 feet tall and stretches 1,650 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 137 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 2,883 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 20 square miles. Completed in 1927, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. Its condition is rated poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 06/08/2022.

At 34 feet, this dam is taller than 80% of dams nationwide.

Living Downstream

If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The Kansas dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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